Research on Meteorological Technology Development Using Rotary Multicopter Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Its Application

In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, UAVs (or drones) have become a flexible device that can be integrated with new technologies. The drones were originally developed as military unmanned aircraft and are now being used in various fields. In the weather observation area, the atmospheric boundary layer is near the surface where the atmosphere is the most active in the meteorological phenomenon and has a close influence on human activities. In order to carry out the study of these atmospheric boundary layers, it is necessary to observe precisely the lower atmosphere and secure the observation technology. The drones in the meteorological field can be used for meteorological observations at a relatively low maintenance cost compared to existing equipment. When used in conjunction with various sensors, the drones can be widely used in atmospheric boundary layer and local meteorological studies. In this study, the feasibility of meteorological observations using UAVs was confirmed by conducting vertical meteorological (temperature and relative humidity) observation experiments equipped with a radiosonde on UAVs owned by National Institute of Meteorological Sciences (NIMS).